Georgie wrote (please forgive me if you feel that I am taking too many liberties with your name, but my logic is that you feel comfortable enought to call me Steve, so I can't imagine that you would mind if I too do just as much):
"Don't defenestrate me for saying so, but I've never seen a bike with more fenestrations! I recall Mr. Masi showing us the masters for these fenestrated chain stays and recalling the vast amount of work needed to produce them. He mentioned that one of the first such bikes went to Eddy Merckx."
You should all be aware that Masi apparently 'borrowed' this idea from a framebuilder by the name of Messori. Messori made quite a few bikes using this principle and even went to the Vigorelli to show it to Faliero. Shortly after Messori's visit, Masi built their first prototype. To this day, Messori, now well into his 80's, has a bad taste in his mouth whenever you mention Masi.
Here is a photo of one of the bikes that Messori built back in the 60's:
http://www.wooljersey.com/
I don't know whether to classify this type of bike as a solution looking for a problem or simply an exercise in futility; but I dig it nonetheless. The Messori bikes goes well beyond where Masi went with the cut-outs.
BTW, I am highly doubtful that any such bike ever went from Masi to Merckx. There is simply no logic in supplying such a bike, because it would have no purpose to a racer. It does however make for a neat story for Alberto.
Steven Maasland
Moorestown, NJ
USA